Once Upon a (Stitch Fix) Time

It's taken a while for me to jump on the Stitch Fix craze, but a couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law mentioned that she tried it and was hooked. She also gave me a coupon, so I decided to give it a try.


If you don't know, Stitch Fix is an online styling service which works like this: once you fill out a style profile, a personal stylist will select wardrobe items to fit your tastes, needs, and budget. The items are mailed to your home and you have three days to try them out. Every box contains five items of clothing, shoes, or accessories. You buy what you like, and send the rest back in a prepaid envelope. (You are only charged after you make your selection and the $20 styling fee is applied as credit toward anything you decide to purchase.)


When the first box arrived it was exciting! A package! Of clothing! All hand-picked for me! The items were individually wrapped, and there was an envelope containing photos of each item styled in different ways. The contents of my Stitch Fix box included: a pair of black skinny jeans, a gingham top, a black tunic, a white top, and a chunky bracelet.


I liked everything in the box, but didn't love everything. The skinny jeans didn't fit right, the white top was too big, the chunky bracelet was similar to one I already owned, and the black tunic had a weird cutout that showed my bra strap. I ended up keeping the gingham top and returned everything else.


What's nice about this service is that you can leave comments about what worked and what didn't, so I left detailed notes for my stylist. I also mentioned that we would be going on vacation soon and that I would like my next box to include items that were cool, packable, and wrinkle-free. I then scheduled my second box for this week.


This time I received a pair of sky blue skinny jeans, a white off-shoulder top, a cream tunic, a maxi dress, and a cross body purse. I immediately dismissed the cream tunic (because off-white is hard to pull off without it looking dingy) and the off-shoulder top (because the ruffles were all wrong). I made a mental note to tell my stylist NO RUFFLES in the boobies area. I was intrigued by the jeans which were soft and fit perfectly, but they were a stretch material that I knew would lose their shape. I set them aside. That left the purse and the maxi dress.


I liked the purse, but it was a smaller size than I was used to. I had to think about it.


Finally, the maxi dress. When I first pulled it out I loved it. The solid navy top offset the colorful skirt, and the combination actually made me consider wearing a bold pattern. But then I turned the dress around and saw that it had a cutout in the lower back and I thought, "Oh, heck no."


Let me just say that if I had been in a store, I wouldn't have even bothered trying the dress on. I would have dismissed it without a second thought. But because I was in the comfort of my own home I decided to at least see what it looked like. And I completely changed my mind. The dress fit like it was made for me, it was very flattering, and the cutout was tiny and not immodest. It definitely was something different, which nudged me a few steps out of my comfort zone. And sometimes that's a good thing!


So I kept the maxi dress and returned everything else.


After two shipments what are my thoughts on Stitch Fix? Although I kept only one item each time, I am going to continue for a while. The web site is user friendly, the shipments are easy to schedule or reschedule, and since I am diligent on providing feedback I know my stylist will get a better feel for my likes and dislikes.


I look forward to receiving my next box ... just no ruffles, please.


(If you're interested in checking out Stitch Fix, let me know and I'll send you an invitation!)